Murrayfield Hotel and House

The Murrayfield has a refined ambience, almost like a gracious private home. It features a mix of classic and contemporary elements, with lots of carefully chosen decorative objects, such as Louis XV-style chairs, African carved heads, and Middle Eastern cabinets. The meeting rooms have green toile-style or rich-red wallpaper, crown moldings, chandeliers, hardwood floors, and fireplaces. The restaurant and bar have a wall of vintage black-and-white photographs and brown-and-white tile floors in a zigzag pattern. The hotel provides an eccentric touch in an outdoor "living room" with concrete sofas and a lamp sculpture. Given its proximity to Murrayfield Stadium, the hotel draws lots of rugby fans, who gather in the bar or seasonal outdoor beer garden before or after games. The hotel's intimate, homey vibe and gracious service also attracts a fair share of couples. 

The Murrayfield Hotel and House is situated in a pleasant residential neighborhood on the A8/Corstorphine Road, a two-minute drive east of the Edinburgh Zoo. It's not the most exciting neighborhood for night life and tourist sights, but it is just across the Water of Leith from Murrayfield Rugby Stadium and a T50 tram stop with service to the city center. Several bus stops are within 100 yards east and west of the hotel, also with service to the city center. The hotel is a 10- to 20-minute bus ride to such major attractions as Princes Street, the Royal Mile, and Edinburgh Castle, or a 10-minute drive. Edinburgh Airport is a 10-minute drive west of the hotel. 

The Murrayfield Hotel's 45 rooms -- all non-smoking -- are housed in the main hotel building, and nine are in a nearby town house. Neither building has an elevator, but the hotel will provide baggage assistance. Rooms have an upscale look, and although the color palette is a neutral beige and gray, the feel is homey as opposed to austere. Rooms feature plush white beds, fine furnishings, and black-and-white photographs. All rooms include coffee/tea makers, free Wi-Fi, and flat-screen TVs with satellite channels. Some rooms have the TV integrated into the wall mirror. Others have some combination of iPod and iPhone docks with ceiling speakers, books and magazines, in-room safes, deep soaking tubs, rainfall showerheads, minibars, and "nooks" with free whiskey and Scottish refreshments. Some of the Classic Rooms can be a bit small, and some bathrooms are shower only. Rooms that face the street can get some traffic noise. 

A small, intimate hotel, the Murrayfield has a good restaurant that does an innovative take on such classic Scottish pub fare as haggis burgers, lamb shank shepherd's pie, fish and chips, and steak and ale pie. An excellent breakfast (for a fee) is available, and includes such items as French toast, scrambled eggs with salmon, and haggis-potato scones. The restaurant also holds theme nights, quiz nights, and serves afternoon tea. A great spot for pre- or post-rugby revelry, the bar features a wide range of drinks, light pub fare, live sports, regular live music, and a seasonal outdoor beer garden. The hotel also offers 24-hour front desk service, tour assistance, free bicycle rental, and free parking.